Curriculum Vitae

Curriculum Vitae

Contact Information

Laboratory of Biological Modeling, NIDDK, NIH
Building 12A, Room 4003
12 South Dr. MSC 5621
Bethesda, MD 20892-5621
email: joseph.mckenna@nih.gov
web: https://joepatmckenna.github.io

Education

10/17 - 2/18: Specialization in Data Science, Johns Hopkins University on Coursera

  • 10 courses on topics such as R programming, cleaning data, statistical inference, regression models, machine learning, and data products

8/12 - 5/17: Ph.D. Mathematical Biology, Florida State University, GPA: 3.9

  • Dissertation: Insulin secretion rhythms: calcium regulation of β-cell metabolism and rescue of islet oscillations
  • Relevant coursework: Differential equations, Numerical analysis, Monte Carlo methods, Machine learning, Computational biology

8/04 - 5/08: B.A. Mathematics, St. Mary's College of Maryland, major GPA: 3.5

  • Thesis: Regular Polytopes and Symmetry
  • GRE: Quantitative 167 (95%), Verbal 162 (90%)

9/09 - 12/09: Graduate non-degree, University of Illinois at Chicago, GPA: 4.0

  • Relevant coursework: Topology, Logic, \(\textstyle{\LaTeX}\)

Research Experience

10/17 - 8/18: Postdoctoral fellow, National Institutes of Health, Laboratory of Biological Modeling

  • Developing software for simulating and analyzing single-cell RNA sequencing data.
  • Developing models to simulate fatty acid regulation by adipose tissue in different metabolic conditions.

7/16 - 5/17: Research assistant, Florida State University

  • Analyzed a model of pancreatic β-cells to characterize loss of β-cell function in the context of diabetes pathogenesis. Investigated the role of Ca2+-activation of mitochondria for maintaining normal oscillatory insulin release from β-cells. Funding from NSF grant DMS 1612193.

5/14 - 8/14: Intern, National Institutes of Health, Laboratory of Biological Modeling

Publications

  • J. P. McKenna, R. Bertram, Fast-slow analysis of the integrated oscillator model for pancreatic β-cells, Journal of Theoretical Biology, in press, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtbi.2018.08.029
  • E. Kim, R. Schenck, J. West, W. Cross, V. Harris, J. McKenna, H. Cho, E. Coker, S. Lee-Kramer, K. Tsai, E. Flores, C. D. Gatenbee, Targeting the untargetable: predicting Pramlintide resistance using a neural network based cellular automata, bioRxiv, 2017, 10.1101/211383 (preprint)
  • J. P. McKenna, R. Dhumpa, N Mukhitov, M. G. Roper, and R. Bertram, Glucose oscillations can activate an endogenous oscillator in pancreatic islets, PLOS Computational Biology, Vol 12(10), 2016, pp e1005143, 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005143
  • J. P. McKenna, J. Ha, M. J. Merrins, L. S. Satin, A. Sherman, and R. Bertram, Calcium effects on ATP production and consumption have regulatory roles on oscillatory islet activity, Biophysical Journal, Vol 110, Feb 2016, pp 733-742, 10.1016/j.bpj.2015.11.3526
  • M. J. Merrins, C. Poudel, J. P. McKenna, J. Ha, A. Sherman, R. Bertram, and L. S. Satin, Phase analysis of metabolic oscillations and membrane potential in pancreatic islet β-cells, Biophysical Journal, Vol 110, Feb 2016, pp 691-699, 10.1016/j.bpj.2015.12.029
  • J. P. McKenna, correct solution to More and more balls in urns in American Mathematical Monthly, Vol 118(8), Oct 2011, pp 750-751, 10.4169/amer.math.monthly.118.08.747
  • J. P. McKenna, correct solution to Permutations with specified left-to-right maxima in Mathematics Magazine, Vol 84(2), Apr 2011, pp 153-154, 10.4169/math.mag.84.2.150
  • J. P. McKenna, correct solution to Counting block fountains of coins in Mathematics Magazine, Vol 83(4), Oct 2010, pp 305, 10.4169/mathmaga.83.4.0304a

Conferences and Workshops

  • 6/18: Contributed poster, Large-scale model inference inspired by statistical physics with applications to language processing and structural biology, q-bio Conference, Houston, TX
  • 5/17: Invited minisymposium talk, State and parameter estimation in models of cellular electrical activity, SIAM Conference on Dynamical Systems, Snowbird, UT
  • 3/17: Invited minisymposium talk, Recent advances in experimentally-guided mathematical biology, SIAM Southeastern Atlantic Section Conference, Tallahassee, FL
  • 3/17: Contributed poster, Dynamic neuron networks with Fitzhugh-Nagumo nodes, SIAM Southeastern Atlantic Section Conference, Tallahassee, FL
  • 2/17: Contributed poster, Markov chain Monte Carlo optimization for fitting excitable cell current-voltage relations to voltage clamp data, SIAM Conference on Computational Science and Engineering, Atlanta, GA
  • 11/16: Invited workshop participant, Integrated mathematical oncology 6th annual workshop: resistance, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL
  • 10/16: Invited workshop participant, Dynamical systems and data analysis in neuroscience: bridging the gap, Mathematical Biosciences Institute, Columbus, OH
  • 7/16: Invited minisymposium talk, Modeling insulin and glucagon secretion and their roles in diabetes, SIAM Annual Conference, Boston, MA
  • 5/16: Contributed poster, Reducing a conductance-based neuron model to normal form, Biology and Medicine through Mathematics Conference, Richmond, VA
  • 7/15: Invited minisymposium talk, Modeling pancreatic islets and diabetes from the cellular level to the whole body, Society for Mathematical Biology Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA
  • 05/15: Contributed poster, Rescuing the Dual Oscillator Model for β-cells from inconvenient data, Midwest Islet Club Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL
  • 8/14: Invited poster, Mathematical model of metabolic oscillations in pancreatic β-cells, NIH Summer Intern Poster Session, Bethesda, MD

Teaching Experience

8/12 - 7/16: Graduate teaching assistant, Florida State University

  • 5/16 - 7/16: Trigonometry proctor
  • 8/15 - 5/16: Foundations of Computational Mathematics (graduate level) recitation instructor
  • 8/15 - 12/15: Applied Computational Mathematics (graduate level) instructor
  • 5/15 - 8/15: Calculus II instructor
  • 1/14 - 8/15: Calculus I instructor
  • 8/13 - 12/14: Precalculus instructor
  • 8/12 - 5/13: Business Calculus, Precalculus, College Algebra, Trigonometry, Liberal Arts Mathematics proctor

8/10 - 6/12: Junior high school instructor, Peace Corps Ghana, West Africa

  • 8/10 - 6/12: Mathematics instructor
  • 8/11 - 6/12: Information and Communications Technology, English instructor

9/09 - 12/09: Tutor, Mathematical Science Learning Center, University of Illinois at Chicago

  • 9/09 - 12/09: Linear algebra, Calculus I & II small-group tutor

9/07 - 5/08: Teaching assistant, St. Mary's College of Maryland

  • 9/07 - 5/08: Calculus I recitation instructor

Work Experience

8/18 - present: Data Scientist, Department of Defense

7/11 - 6/12: Peace Corps Volunteer, Ghana, West Africa

  • Coordinated the proposal, international fundraising, construction, and regular operation of a junior high school computer lab that introduced computer-based learning to educators and students in a remote village. Resulted in the best-in-district performance on national high school entrance exams for subsequent years: 2013-16.

11/10 - 6/12: Editor, Celebrate Languages Audio Project, Peace Corps Ghana, West Africa

  • Used Java program to automate language-learning lesson production from interviews with speakers of languages native to Ghana, West Africa.

11/08 - 3/09: Computer assembler, FreeGeek, Chicago, IL

  • Assembled PCs from donated parts and installed GNU Linux to offer low-cost computing to the economically disadvantaged.

Technical Abilities

  • Programming: Python, R, C, C++, Fortran, MATLAB, UNIX, Java, HTML, Javascript, CSS, \(\textstyle{\LaTeX}\), XPP, AUTO
  • Language: English (native), French (intermediate), Twi (intermediate)

Awards

  • 4/16: Distinguished teaching assistant, Florida State University Mathematics
  • 4/16: Graduate student poster contest 3rd place, Florida State University Mathematics
  • 3/16: Travel award, SIAM Annual Meeting, Boston, MA
  • 7/13 - 5/14: Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need Fellow, U.S. Department of Education
  • 12/05 & 5/08: Dean's List, St. Mary's College of Maryland
  • 9/04 - 5/08: Presidential Scholarship, St. Mary's College of Maryland
  • 6/04: Eagle Scout, Boy Scouts of America

References

Dr. Vipul Periwal

Laboratory of Biological Modeling Director
National Institutes of Health
12 South Dr. MSC 5621
Bethesda, MD 20892-5621
tel: (240) 274-9150
email: vipulp@mail.nih.gov

Dr. Richard Bertram

Biomathematics Program Director
Florida State University Mathematics
1017 Academic Way
Love Building Room 208
Tallahassee, FL 32306-4510
tel: (850) 644-7632
fax: (850) 644-4053
email: bertram@math.fsu.edu

Dr. Kyle Gallivan

Applied Mathematics Program Director
Florida State University Mathematics
1017 Academic Way
Love Building Room 208
Tallahassee, FL 32306-4510
tel: (850) 645-0306
fax: (850) 644-4053
email: gallivan@math.fsu.edu